The implementation of digital video with an advanced video compression method is expected to extend the same level of usability and functionality that established compression methods extend to applications and network systems. Video processing devices throughout the network systems should continue to be provisioned with existing levels of video stream manipulation capabilities or better.
In network systems such as subscriber television systems, the digital video receiver is often the digital home communication terminal (“DHCT”), otherwise known as the set-top box. The DHCT should continue to provision the same or an improved level of usability and functionality to the end user in digital video services, such as video-on-demand and personal video recording.
Typically, a receiver capable of providing video services is connected to a subscriber network system. A video-services-enabled receiver (VSER) may be a mobile and/or a handheld device. Some VSERs, such as the DHCT, are located at the user's premises and connected to a subscriber television system, such as, for example, a cable or satellite network. A VSER includes hardware and software necessary to provide digital video services to the end user with various levels of usability and/or functionality. Some of the software executed by a VSER may be downloaded and/or updated via the subscriber network system. Each VSER also typically includes a processor, communication components, memory, and capability to output a video signal for display, either to a display device that is part of the same device housing the VSER or connected to the VSER. For instance, a DHCT is connected to a television or other display device, such as, for example, a personal computer. While many conventional VSERs are stand-alone devices that are externally connected to a television, such as a DHCT, the functionality of a VSER or DHCT may be integrated into a television or personal computer or even an audio device such as, for example, a programmable music player, as will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art.
One of the features of the VSER includes the ability to receive and decompress a digital video signal in a compressed format. Another feature of some VSERs, such as a DHCT, includes providing Personal Video Recorder (PVR) functionality through the use of a storage device coupled to the DHCT or a storage device located remotely in the subscriber television system that is accessible by the DHCT. When providing this PVR functionality or other video stream manipulation functionality for video streams compressed and formatted in accordance with the Advanced Video Coding (AVC) standard, referred to herein as AVC streams, it becomes difficult to determine whether the video stream is suitable for a particular stream manipulation operation or for operations extending end user functionality such as different video playback modes. Likewise, it becomes difficult for video processing equipment located at any of several locations throughout a network system to fulfill manipulation operations on AVC streams. This is because the AVC standard generally has a rich set of compression tools and can exploit temporal redundancies among pictures in more elaborate and comprehensive ways than prior video coding standards.
AVC streams are more efficiently compressed than video streams coded with prior video coding standards. However, AVC streams tend to exhibit higher complexities in pictures' interdependencies that make it difficult to fulfill stream manipulation operations and provide end user functionality.